ROMINA 15 - Pre-1986 Gotz All-Vinyl 18" GELENKPUPPE - American Girl Doll Prototype
This Vintage Gotz Modell Doll is thought to have been produced prior to 1986 (as one doll has a torso signature dated 10-5-86); she measures 46cm/18" tall and has a Doll ID # or Catalog Code #: UNKNOWN. As this doll was produced in an uncertain year and may/may not have an actual catalog name, for cataloguing and American Girl doll collector purposes, Gotz Doll Wiki has named her "ROMINA 15," as she is the fifteenth known "Romina" (see below) to be catalogued. Although originally sold separately, ROMINA 15 and ROMINO 04 (aka JASON) are considered by Gotz Doll Collectors to be twin siblings: both share similar physical characteristics and wear matching his/her outfits. ROMINA 15 has KANEKALON WIGGED, LENGTH & STYLE brown hair with straight bangs; her hair is worn in two pinned-up side braids with a white flowered hairpiece on the right side. Her "sleepy eyes" are BROWN with a DECAL eye design. This doll is an all-vinyl, hard-bodied, articulated doll. The German Name for this doll is "GELENKPUPPE" which means "JOINTED DOLL" or "GELENKSTEHPUPPE," which means "JOINTED STANDING DOLL." '''Unfortunately, at this time, there is not much information available on ROMINA 15. GELENKPUPPE/GELENKSTEHPUPPE dolls are hard-bodied dolls; their head, torso, and limbs are made entirely of vinyl and are designed to resemble natural human proportions. There are typically two different GELENKPUPPE/GELENKSTEHPUPPE body types: the difference between them is that one has an articulated waist (upper and lower torsos move independently of one another) and one does not. This type of '''GELENKPUPPE/GELENKSTEHPUPPE is classified as a "PLAY DOLL;" these dolls have been specifically designed and created with materials capable of withstanding vigorous child play. Play Dolls will either have "rooted" hair or "wigged" hair. Rooted hair is hair that is machine-inserted directly into the doll's skull in small groupings of hair. Rooted hair is very durable and can be roughly pulled/tugged. Wigged hair is hair that is sewn to a wig cap which is then glued to the doll's skull. Wigged hair tends to be made of a higher-quality Kanekalon fiber than the Kanekalon fiber used on a rooted-haired doll and is more susceptible to bald spots. Play Dolls will have either "fixed" eyes (eyes "fixed" in position) or "sleepy eyes" (eyes that open/shut when the doll's vertical position is changed). Play Dolls outfits, while still being high-quality and well-crafted, are made from fabrics and materials selected more for their durability and care than for their appearance. Finally, Play Dolls and their body parts tend to be mass-produced and are not designed by a specific Doll Artist. For all of the reasons mentioned above, these dolls tend to be one of the least expensive Gotz dolls offered within the Gotz doll market. 'Did You Know?' *''American Girl'' doll collectors refer to dolls with this facial mold as a "ROMINA" (if the doll is a girl) and a "ROMINO" (if the doll is a boy)? It's true! ROMINA/Os are considered by many to be the American Girl doll prototype. Pleasant Rowland, the founder of Pleasant Company and American Girl, decided to go with this doll's facial mold paired with a soft doll torso and voila! the American Girl doll line was born! This is why ROMINA/O and the first three American Girl dolls: Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly (along with dolls thereafter) all look alike; they all share this same “classic” facial mold. *In 1986, Gotz exclusively produced the first three historical American Girl dolls in their West Germany plant until production needs increased and additional production plants were opened in Hungary, Germany and even the United States! __TOC__ 'Catalog Information' *Doll Name: UNKNOWN/ROMINA 15 *Year Produced: PRE-1986 (one torso is signed 10-5-86) *Doll ID #/Catalog Code #: UNKNOWN *Height in cm/inches: 46cm/18" *Torso Material: ALL-VINYL *Body Type: HARD-BODIED *German Classification: GELENKPUPPE or GELENKSTEHPUPPE *German Classification (in English): JOINTED DOLL or JOINTED STANDING DOLL *Doll Type: PLAY DOLL *Neckstamp Mold #: GOTZ-PUPPE *Doll Collection/Series/Lines: Gotz Modell *Original Cost of Doll: UNKNOWN *Country Doll Produced In: WEST GERMANY 'Physical Characteristics' *Hair Color: BROWN HAIR *Hair Length: UNKNOWN LENGTH *Hair Style: STYLE with straight bangs. *Hair Description: LENGTH & STYLE brown hair with straight bangs; her hair is worn in two pinned-up side braids with a white flowered hairpiece on the right side. *Hair Type: WIGGED HAIR *Hair Material: High-quality Kanekalon Fiber *Eye Type: SLEEPY EYES *Eye Color: BROWN EYES *Eye Design: DECAL **'DECAL': Eye design comprised of thin, striated, straight lines that radiate outwards from the pupil to the edge of the iris. *Other Noticeable Physical Traits: TEETH; American Girl'' Doll Prototype''' 'Articulation Classification' *Articulation Locations: Both shoulders; both hips; neck *Internal Articulation Mechanism:' STRUNG (CORDED)' *Articulation Types: MULTI-ARTICULATED (4-5 JOINTS MOVE/POSE): Doll can sit/stand unaided; both shoulders and hips will move/pose; neck articulates. 'Articulation Explained' Articulation refers to whether or not a doll '''can move one or more of its body parts (neck; arms; legs; waist, etc) ''independently of its body and/or hold that body part in a pose. Each moveable, poseable doll body part will typically have a ball-jointed socket, referred to as an articulation joint and each articulation joint is located on a specific part of the body (known as an articulation location). These articulation locations are then added up to classify the doll within a specific articulation type. It is important to catalog this information as many dolls share the same face mold but have different body types. Click on each "purple" word as this is a link to an article with more information on that topic. 'Original Outfit' Please provide a brief, detailed physical description on the appearance, material, design, etc. of this doll's original outfit along with any original accessories. Please Note: Gotz Doll Wiki cannot independently verify this without an original catalog photo. 'Original Box' Please upload a photo of a verifiable original box. Category:Doll Index Category:AMERICAN GIRL Doll Prototypes: ROMINA; ROMINO; SOMINA Category:Article Category:Article Stub Category:Requires Fill-In Category:Photo Needed Category:Hard-Bodied Dolls Category:Vinyl Torso Dolls Category:Articulated Dolls Category:Play Dolls Category:Gelenkpuppe = Jointed Doll Category:Gelenkstehpuppe = Jointed Standing Doll Category:Dolls Produced Between 1980-1989 Category:Vintage Gotz Modell Category:DOLLS BY DECADE - UNKNOWN Category:Dolls without Catalog Photos Category:Dolls without Catalog Names Category:UNKNOWN GERMAN DOLL NAME Category:Sleepy Eyes Category:Wigged Dolls Category:Kanekalon Haired Dolls Category:18" Dolls Category:Dolls with Teeth Category:Girl Dolls & Girl Baby Dolls Category:Light Skinned Dolls Category:Brown to Dark Brown Eyed Dolls Category:Decal Eyes Category:Brown to Dark Brown Haired Dolls Category:UNKNOWN HAIR LENGTH Category:UNKNOWN HAIR STYLE Category:Dolls with Bangs Category:Dolls with Hair Braids Category:Twin Sibling Category:Gotz-Puppe